Nick Cave’s loss is indeed profound and heartbreaking. The death of his son Jethro Lazenby, just a few years after the tragic passing of his son Arthur, is a tremendous and unimaginable grief.
Jethro, a former model and actor, was born to Cave and his partner Beau Lazenby in Melbourne.
The cause of Jethro’s death has not yet been disclosed, and the pain of such losses must be incredibly difficult for Cave and his family to endure.
“With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away,” said the 64-year-old.
“We would be grateful for family privacy at this time.”
It’s deeply tragic that Jethro Lazenby’s death followed his recent release from prison, where he had been incarcerated for assaulting his mother.
This additional layer of complexity and pain must be incredibly challenging for Nick Cave and his family as they detail this difficult time.
Those who knew Jethro described him as ‘intelligent’, ‘creative’ and ‘unique’ but say that his life was one of thrilling highs and crushing lows.
“I’m in shock hearing the news of Jethro dying – he would have puked at the phrase ‘passing away,”’ friend and Savages drummer Fay Wilton tells the Standard.
“He was a brilliant soul, funny as f*ck and like nobody I’ve ever met. We were really close friends for a couple of years and it was a deep dive into each other’s crazy energy.
“The Jethro I knew was a completely unique and brilliant soul, always smiling and so, so funny,” she says.
“He walked through life with both total irreverence and a sweet kindness. I’ll never forget him turning up in London and yelling for me outside my flat. I looked out and saw this gangly kid with a big grin on his face and a big hooked walking stick.
He looked like he just stepped out of a Nightmare Before Christmas.”
It sounds like there was a significant, yet ultimately fleeting, connection between Jethro Lazenby and Fay.
Their time together around 2010, marked by shared experiences like attending festivals and enjoying London’s nightlife, was meaningful but eventually ended in drifting apart.
Such relationships, even when they don’t last, can have a lasting impact and leave behind complex feelings and regrets.
“Jethro had a real magic quality to him that is so rare,” she says. “He was extremely intelligent and creative. Like many, I’d lost touch with him, and it breaks my heart to see there was so much suffering in his life and those around him. I still have a suitcase of his clothes and he still has my synth. I always thought we would meet again someday.”
Jethro Lazenby’s move from Collingwood, Melbourne to Stoke Newington in London reflects his desire to escape what he perceived as a mundane environment.
His relocation was driven by a yearning for excitement and new opportunities in music, acting, and modeling.
However, despite his efforts, he faced significant challenges in achieving success in these fields.
